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With Halloween lurking around the corner, you may be searching for some spooky songs to listen to. Fear not, for I have a plethora of soundtracks, some of which are solely instrumental, that you’re sure to enjoy. Including miniseries, movies and video games, I have no shortage of eerie soundtracks to recommend for spooky season.
I Am Not Okay With This – Bloodwitch
Even five years after “I Am Not Okay With This,” one of my favorite coming-of-age horror shows, being canceled after its first season, I still adore the soundtrack. Though this one isn’t inherently spooky, it captures the renowned aesthetic of sudden supernatural happenings in a small town, similar to “Stranger Things” and “It” (2017). A creepy fun fact that might add to the subtly spooky vibe is that the artist of the soundtrack is a fictional band from the show named “Bloodwitch.” The name was enough to draw me in, but the music is simply astounding. Some of my favorites, “Fly” and “Vanilla Skin,” are slower, more flowy songs that embody the coming-of-age aesthetic. Meanwhile, my favorite, “I’m Yours Tonight,” concludes the album with a much spookier vibe, eliciting the eerie feeling I associate with coming-of-age horror media.
Night in the Woods – Alec Holowka
Even if you don’t listen to instrumental video game soundtracks, the soundtrack for “Night in the Woods” is essential for Halloween. Not only is the game set in autumn, but there’s a festival called “Harfest,” which stems from ancient harvest festival practices similar to modern-day Halloween. On volume one, one of my favorites is “Outskirts,” which elicits the vibes of the Pennsylvania Rust Belt town setting. Another favorite, “Witch Dagger” is much more intense and upbeat than the gentle keyboard sounds in the majority of the soundtrack. While I wouldn’t listen to these songs as much on their own, I have to recommend some of the creepiest ones – “The Arm” is only subtly creepy, reminiscent of 1930s-50s horror films; meanwhile, “What!?” and “Eide” conclude the first volume of the soundtrack on a much more sinister note. As for volume two, some gentler but still spooky tracks include “Library Investigations,” “Graveyard Investigations,” and “Thryy Wyrd Tyyns.”
Over the Garden Wall – The Blasting Company
My absolute all-time favorite miniseries, “Over the Garden Wall,” also happens to have an incredibly atmospheric soundtrack that echoes the sinister plot of the children’s horror show. While you can’t go wrong with any songs, such as “Into the Unknown” and “Patient is the Night,” I have to recommend some of the creepiest. “The Journey Begins” elicits the folk horror-inspired vibes present in the show; “Adelaide’s Trap” feels like you’re trapped inside a Grimm Brothers fairy tale; “More Bones to Sort,” one of my favorites, might be the most intensely creepy song on the soundtrack; finally, “Black Train/End Credits” concludes each episode on a gentler but still whimsically spooky piano melody.
We’re All Going to the World’s Fair – Alex G
Whether or not you listen to Alex G, if you’re a fan of indie rock and lofi-style slowcore, you’re in for a treat with his soundtracks. So far, he’s collaborated with filmmaker Jane Schoenbrun on two psychological indie horror films, “We’re All Going to the World’s Fair” (2022) and “I Saw the TV Glow” (2024). The latter means a great deal to me as one of my favorite films, but the soundtrack for “World’s Fair” beats the “TV Glow” backing tracks for me. Starting with the “Main Theme,” not only is this my favorite on the album, but it’s my favorite Alex G song. It’s such an off-kilter introduction to the film, but it fits the vibe just right. If you’re a fan of the subtly spooky vibe such as myself, you might also like “Morning,” a shorter track featuring gentle guitar strums coupled with ghost-like vocals and sounds.
Charlotte Ruth is a third-year English major with minors in Creative Writing and Italian Studies.